iPhone 5's 19-pin connector to make way for headphone jack?

Honey I shrunk the dock connector

It's a new day, it's a new dawn, it's a new iPhone 5 rumour – not all that new, actually, as rumours of the 30-pin dock connector's demise have been around for a while now.

But the latest 'confirmation' comes from Reuters whose two sources tell it that the new, smaller 19-pin port will "make room for the earphone moving to the bottom".

The new suppositions jive with earlier rumours from three anonymous manufacturers who also reckon that the 30-pin port is going the way of the dodo.

Logistics

If it comes to pass, the shrinking of the connector will be a real pain for anyone who has already spent money on iPhone/iPod/iPad-friendly docks – but no doubt there are dollar signs rolling into accessory manufacturers' eyes, slot-machine style.

Perhaps Apple will provide some kind of dock-adaptor like the pointless plastic bases that came with iPods for a time, or perhaps we'll just have to shell out for new speakers and spare chargers and the like.

The plus side is that a smaller connector will leave more room for other technological goodies, or mean a smaller, slimmer handset.

But when oh when will we find out for sure? Although some rumours peg August 7 as the iPhone 5 launch date, we reckon a September announcement is more likely, with the handset going on sale at some point in October 2012.